Virtual reality (VR) technology, rooted in 19th-century innovations, creates immersive experiences by simulating real-world environments. Key developments include Charles Wheatstone's stereoscopic photo viewer, Morton Heilig's Sensorama and head-mounted displays, and the coining of the term 'virtual reality' by Jaron Lanier in 1987. Today, with advancements in technology, major companies are further refining VR, marking 2016 as a pivotal year for its evolution.

1. Virtual Reality- Everything you need to know
Virtual Reality the Next-Gen, ultra-advanced technology that mimics or recreates real-world in a
computer-simulated environment had its seeds sown back in 19th
century which is almost 200 years ago.
The concept of virtual reality revolves around creating an illusion of being present at a place,
somewhere we are not. This was first adopted and achieved by a progressive approach for admiring art.
Back in 1812, panoramic paintings or 360 degree murals were created covering the admirer’s entire field
of view which engrossed them to feel virtually present at the scene. 200 years later, we call it the new-
age technology. Here’s how Virtual reality was born, rose and got its name.
Stereoscopic Photo viewer- 1838
In 1838 Charles Wheatstone unfolded the mystery of immersive vision and the brain’s perception of
depth. Wheatstone’s research demonstrated that each human eye views a two-dimensional image
separately at the same time which is perceived as a single 3D image by the Brain. Working on the same
principle, Wheatstone developed a stereoscopic photo viewer (Patented 1839) which viewed two
images side by side with each eye and gave the user a sense of depth and immersion.
Sensorama
A great milestone in the history of Virtual Reality, Sensorama was an arcade style theatre booth which
gave the viewer a stereoscopic 3D display and eve stimulated other senses such as sound and smell. The
theatre booth even came with a vibrating chair, fans and smell generators. Sensorama was developed in
1950s by Morton Heilig who also created specialized short films to be watched in the theatre booth.
Morton got Sensorama patented in 1962.

2. Morton’s Next Invention- Head Mounted VR Display
The first ever VR Head mounted display (HMD) created in 1960 was also a contribution of Morton Heilig
and was called the Telesphere Mask. The head gear was a compact version of Sensorama which
provided 3D stereoscopic wide vision and sound.
Sword Of Damocles- 1968
A head mounted VR display which was connected to a computer and hung from the ceiling. The bulky
product was invented by Ivan Sutherland in 1968. The HMD was a scary looking piece of machinery
which showed computer generated graphics in a primitive wireframe room to the user who had to be
strapped into the device.
Virtual Reality- Origin of the name
After all the wondrous inventions in the field it still lacked a convincing term. In 1987 Jaron Lanier,
founder of the Virtual Reality Programming Lab (VPL) coined the term “Virtual Reality” after the
company developed a gear which consisted of a pair of goggles and Gloves.
The Holodock- 1987
Holodock made its debut in 1987 during the Star Trek era and created an environment of space using
holographic images of characters and objects. The tractor beams projected the holographic images
which is exactly the concept behind Microsoft’s HoloLens only much too refined and urbane.
Sega VR Glasses
Sega developed the prototype headset and VR glasses which had motion tracking, stereo sound and LCD
screens in the view field. The product was announced to be released as the headset for Sega Genesis
console in 1993. However, after various technical drawbacks Sega failed to launch the headset in the
market even after developing six games for the console.

3. Nintendo Virtual Boy
In 1995, Nintendo, one of the leading names in gaming technology boasted of creating a portable 3D
gaming console with real 3D graphics. The Nintendo Virtual Boy was released in Japan and America but
was a commercial failure even after being introduced at a reasonable price of $180 due to the lack of
red and black colored graphics and software support. Also, it was rather difficult to use the console in a
comfortable position.
Years later, the concept of virtual reality is unabated as rapid advancement in the field of computer as
well as mobile technology has been seen. With the advent of Smartphones and high-denisty superior
quality displays, Virtual Reality is a concept our future lies in the hands of. Major giants like Facebook,
Google and Microsoft have been working on Virtual Reality and adopting it in their own innovative ways.
2016 is undoubtedly set to be another key milestone in this journey with new products and technologies
on the verge.